Sicily

• Mt. Etna

This appears to be a bit of a change for 2023.  Prior vintages listed no varietal (Bianco) while this lists Grillo on the front label.  It is not clear if this is 100%.  Silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is clean with a touch of limes and a bit of minerality.  Slightly viscous texture.  Light bodied.  On the palate, this is dry with a sort of "Lime Popsicle" flavor.  Some underlying minerality.  Good finish.  Overall, it is an easy drinking, light white that is refreshing on its own and will work with lighter foods.  Drink over the next year or two.  

This is 100% Carricante from Sicily.  Silvery/green in color, clear4 and bright.  The nose is pretty with peach, slight lime and salinity.  Medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  Good balance and acidity.  On the palate, peaches, lime pith, minerals and slight char.  Long finish.  This is an excellent and refreshing white wine.  It has depth and drinks great on its own.  Grilled swordfish or tuna steaks would be a great match.  Drink over the next five years.

Zibibbo is also know as Muscat of Alexandria and is typically used to make dessert wines.

This is made from 100% Cataratto grapes in Sicily.  Silvery/green in color, clear and bright.  The nose is refreshing with peach, sea air and slight char.  Medium bodied.  Slightly viscous, "liquidy" texture.  On the palate, peaches with a slight bitter almond note (in a good way) and char.  Plenty of depth here.  Long finish.  This is a complex wine but also refreshing.  It is crisp, food friendly and reasonably priced.  This is lovely on its own and would be great with fried shrimp or other sea food. Drink over the next fiver to eight years.  

it looks like a release date of 09/23.  This is a sparkling natural wine from Sicily made from 100% Catarratto grapes.  Pas Dosé means No Dossage.  Golden in color.  A nice mousse of smaller bubbles that quickly disappears in a wide rim glass.  The nose is apple cider with a bit of salinity.  Medium bodied.  On the palate, the apple cider notes continue along with a nice minerality.  Some cinnamon on the finish.  It is a different wine that seems food friendly.  Probably best to drink sooner than later.  

This is from an Island located south west of Sicily.  Although part of Italy, it is actually closer to Africa (Tunisia).  It is a fascinating dessert wine. Made from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes.  Amber in color with some golden hues.  The nose is great with canned peaches, apricots and candied oranges.  Viscous.  On the palate, this is sweet but not cloying.  Delicious.  Enough acidity to carry the fruit.  Also a touch of honey.  Long finish.  Great on its own, this would work well with Biscotti or shortbread.  Fun.

This is a blend of 60% Frappato and 40% Syrah from Sicily.  Violet in color, mostly clear and bright.  The nose has raspberries, black cherries and char.  Medium bodied.  Silky texture.  Medium tannins.  On the palate, this has big fruit; raspberries and black raspberries along with char and thyme.  There is some depth as well.  Long finish.  Like most Italian wines, this is better with food.  This would work well with plate of pasta with mushrooms.  Drink over the next five years.  

Made from 100% Frappato grapes.  Very pale ruby/blue in color, clear and bright.  The nose has pretty cherry notes along with a bit of a floral quality and wild Thyme.  Also some salinity.  Light to medium bodied with light, silky tannins.  Moderate acidity.  On the palate, raspberries and cherries.  Clean.  Good finish.  Drink now.  This would be a lovely wine to serve at a summer party.  It seems food friendly and would be one wine that would work with a plate of Spaghetti and tomato sauce.  

While common in Italy, and a grape native to the island of Sicily, you don’t find much Grillo is other parts of the world. And that’s okay as Italy does an admirable job with the grape. It offers good minerality, nice acidity and flavors of subtle lemon-lime, white peach, kumquat, apricot, resin and honeysuckle, light mango and other tropical fruit notes. In terms of food pairing, this is the kind of wine that is ultimately versatile, and Stemmari offers a terrific value. ORIGIN: Sicily, Italy. ALCOHOL: 13%

This is a wine made from the Frappato grape in southeastern Sicily.  Donnafugata is one of the top wineries in Sicily.  13% abv.  Ruby in color with some purple swirls, mostly clear and bright.  The nose is nice with cherries, strawberries and floral notes.  Light tannins.  On the palate, there is depth here but it takes some air/cellaring to bring it out.  Flavors of cherries and cranberries with a bit of salinity and slight underlying char.  Good acidity.  Long finish.  It drinks well on its own, but is better with food.  This would be great with an Anchovy Pizza, but also Salmon.  It may